Line #21 Music/WeAreTheWorld


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4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/we_are_the_world_cover.png]]
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6	->''"There comes a time, when we heed a certain call\
7	When the world must come together as one..."''
8
9	"We Are the World" is a song by USA for Africa (a {{Supergroup}} formed for the purpose), released as a charity single in early 1985.
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11	In 1984, UsefulNotes/{{Ethiopia}} was struck by a famine, making headlines across the world. The famine also struck the conscience of the entertainment industry. At year's end, Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof gathered a bunch of major UK music stars together (highlighted by Music/GeorgeMichael, Music/{{Sting}}, Music/PhilCollins, and various members of Music/{{U2}}, Music/DuranDuran and Music/CultureClub) under the name Band Aid, to record "Do They Know It's Christmas?". A massive hit in its homeland (the biggest selling single in UK history up until "[[Music/EltonJohn Candle in the Wind 1997]]", and still #2 on the list), it also made the American Top 20 and raised funds and awareness for Ethiopia.
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13	Creator/HarryBelafonte took note of Band Aid and decided that American performers needed to do something similar, so he called up Music/LionelRichie, who then contacted Music/MichaelJackson, who agreed to perform and help with writing. Belafonte also contacted Music/KennyRogers, Music/StevieWonder and Music/QuincyJones, who assisted with conducting and producing the song.
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15	Richie, Jackson, Wonder and Jones continued to tweak the lyrics up to the first recording session, and a special track was prepared for the performers. The vocal session was scheduled at [[Creator/AAndMRecords A&M Studios]] in Hollywood late on the night of January 28, a time and place chosen to take advantage of all the A-list singers who would be in town for American Music Awards earlier that evening. Included in the lineup were Music/RayCharles, Music/DionneWarwick, Music/BobDylan, Music/DianaRoss, Music/BillyJoel, Music/PaulSimon, Music/BruceSpringsteen, Music/CyndiLauper, [[Music/HueyLewisAndTheNews Huey Lewis]], and Music/WillieNelson, with a vast choir that included Creator/DanAykroyd, Music/BetteMidler, the Pointer Sisters, Music/WaylonJennings, and the rest of Jackson's family, with Bob Geldof joining them in an ApprovalOfGod gesture.
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17	"We Are the World" was released on March 7, 1985, reaching number one on the R&B Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100, and raising $10.8 million within four months. Since then, the record has raked in $63 million, put toward both short-term and long-term humanitarian relief projects, with 10% of the funds also being used for domestic hunger and homeless programs.
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19	Twenty-five years on, in February 2010, a new version of "We Are the World" was recorded and released following the UsefulNotes/{{Haiti}} earthquake, reuniting Richie and Jones for its production, with a rap verse written by Music/WillIAm. Material recorded by Jackson from the original was also interwoven into the new version, which features [[Music/TheFugees Wyclef Jean]], Music/JoshGroban, Music/{{Usher}}, Music/JanetJackson, Music/LilWayne and other well-known artists. All proceeds from the song were used by the newly formed '''We Are The World LLC''' to help with relief efforts in Haiti.
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21	----
22	!! There's a choice we're making. We're troping our own lives:
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24	* AcronymConfusion: According to the literature, "USA for Africa" actually stands for "United Support of Artists for Africa."
25	* ArtisticLicenseTraditionalChristianity: Willie Nelson's line "As God has shown us by turning stones to bread." Anyone who has actually read Literature/TheBible knows that it was Satan who tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:3 and Luke 4:3) to do so; of course, he turned him down flat. This was changed in the 2010 version to "We can't let them suffer/No, we cannot turn away."
26	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Jackson [[https://youtu.be/S0jgkb5mgw8?t=238 originally]] had the African-sounding "sha-lum sha-lingay" as the response lines in the chorus, until Geldof said that using gibberish like that might be considered offensive. Stevie Wonder called a friend who suggested some lines in Swahili instead, but Ray Charles and Music/WaylonJennings objected to having to learn phrases in a foreign language on short notice, and others pointed out that Swahili isn't even spoken in Ethiopia. Eventually the lines ended up as "one world, our children."
27	* AwardBaitSong: Considering it was meant to raise money for famine victims, the creators had no qualms throwing in all the clichés of this trope to tug at listeners' heartstrings.
28	* BattleAura: If you watch carefully during the video, you can see [[Music/JourneyBand Steve Perry]] psyching himself up in the background before his line.
29	* BlindMusician: Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, both of whom threatened to personally drive everyone home if the vocals weren't all completed by the session's end.
30	* CharityMotivationSong: The TropeMaker, organized to help raise money for Ethiopia in the wake of the UrExample "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
31	* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: Music/{{Prince}} agreed to take part but never showed up. His line was given to [[Music/HueyLewisAndTheNews Huey Lewis]]. Very noticeable since he follows Michael Jackson, and pairing Prince and Jackson (often contrasted at the time as the RedOniBlueOni superstars of R&B) makes more sense.
32	* EleventhHourRanger: Ray Charles doesn't appear until around the 4:30 mark of the full version, but dominates the rest of the song.
33	* EpicRocking: The unedited version runs 7:16.
34	* FeetFirstIntroduction: Michael Jackson's appearance in the video begins with a shot of his signature sparkling socks and shoes and then pans up.
35	* FormerlyFriendlyFamily: In the video, Michael and the rest of the Jacksons stand on opposite ends of the choir. (Michael had left [[Music/TheJacksonFive the family group]] on bad terms only a month before "We Are the World.")
36	* LargeHam: Hoo boy. Several of the featured artists definitely got lost in their performances. Bruce Springsteen is roaring his parts, Cyndi Lauper is screaming so loud that it's a little hard to understand what she's saying[[note]]Which causes nearby Kim Carnes to visibly recoil[[/note]], Stevie Wonder is hollering at the top of his lungs during his back and forth with Springsteen, James Ingram's roaring so loud he sounds like he could bring down the whole building and at various points in the video, Harry Belafonte appears to be screaming his head off. Bob Dylan's bleating on his solo line almost seems like a SelfParody.
37	* LetsDuet: Several lines are sung by two people simultaneously, with some unusual pairings (Paul Simon[=/=]Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner[=/=]Billy Joel, Dionne Warwick[=/=]Willie Nelson).
38	* MagicalJew: In a song rooted in Christian religious sentiment, the presence of Paul Simon evokes this trope.
39	** Subverted by Bob Dylan, who had famously converted to Christianity a few years earlier (though he was coming off ''Infidels'', an album sometimes viewed as a move back towards Jewish themes).
40	* MegaCrossover: A large mix of superstar American singers from many genres.
41	* MelismaticVocals: As a song with touches of GospelMusic sung by singers wanting to seem sincere, this shows up many times.
42	* NoIndoorVoice: Everyone, but ''especially'' Steve Perry, Huey Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper and James Ingram.
43	* {{Supergroup}}: One of the most famous examples from TheEighties.
44	* TheTeamNormal: Dan Aykroyd. All the more so since, with his jacket, tie and glasses, he looks like some stockbroker who just happened to wander into the studio from a nearby bar.
45	* TopTenJingle: Some critics accused "We Are the World" of being this. At the time, Pepsi's slogan was ''"The Choice of a New Generation,"'' and the Jacksons (featuring Michael) had recently starred in a series of Pepsi TV commercials.
46	* TruckDriversGearChange: It wouldn't be a rousing, inspirational song without one, beginning with the chorus after Bob Dylan's part.
47	* WideEyedIdealist: The lyrics definitely convey this tone.
48	-->''And the truth, you know, love is all we need.''
49	* AWildRapperAppears: The 2010 version includes a whole brand-new rap segment, featuring artists like Music/LLCoolJ, Music/SnoopDogg, Music/BustaRhymes, and Music/KanyeWest, among others.

Context Music / WeAreTheWorld